Diamond_Jim

While on the subject of injury there was an interesting article in the Guardian about Mitchell Starc insuring himself against injury and missing the 2018 IPL season in India. Makes you wonder whether it's worth the club insuring the top four or five players against season ending injuries.A good example would have been insuring Lever. Premiums may have made it unattractive but I hope someone at least does the sums. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/09/mitchell-starc-sues-insurers-for-15m-over-missed-ipl-season

KK was steak knives in the May deal.... third round pick if not fourth

Just go to the post by Demonland on the opening page of this thread. Each of the interviews are there either in extract or in the case of Bailey in full. Read them and make up your own mind

37k for a Hawthorn home game against a Melbourne club at the MCG on a beautiful day. Not great

a bit over the top ...even for a game day thread

have to remember that the Casey team is almost unrecognizable from that which played last year. I'd love KC to give us the numbers but it's probably 50% turnover if not more.

have never really understood why we exclusively play the same gameplan at VFL as at AFL. Sure play it for a half or every second game ...but experiment !!! Frankly at VFL level the chaos theory is more of a scrum that does not encourage skills

the chaos game is inefficient. You need quick skilful players etc and you need very high possession rates. It has a role but as an only gameplan it will be unlikely to get you there. Sure you can luck in but statistically the odds are low. Do we have the players for an alternative gameplan. Who knows as we've never tried it.

You can't load the team with youngsters/VFL level players simply because the playing unit as a whole will suffer. No matter what you say the team provides the backbone for individual brilliance. If we come out of this year with 2-3 solid best 22 players who were not in the 2018 team that will be an excellent result. Lewis' replacement may well not be one of those players which raises the real possibility of another year for Jordan if he wants one. Hopefully we find that replacement in 2020.

Swans comfortably dealing with Carlton at the MCG.

Pert's job is the same as Jackson. He provides a stable environment for all areas of the club to operate within. His only role in the football department is to ensure that it is functioning as a unit. There are no questions in that regard. We may disagree with the gameplan devised by the football department but that is their area. Goodwin has been assessed and found worthy of an extension. Let's move on and leave Pert to do his job. Me... I'm more interested in how the football department prepare for 2020.

Won most of the key stats... ergo gameplan

who is shaun McKernan?

not our best quarter methinks

one behind for the quarter = gameplan Not as though it's new

mmmmmm

as a wise poster mentioned last week... one sparrow does not a summer make and similarly you cannot win a a game with one good quarter

from the AFL site... need on say more about the gameplan The 33 points currently scored by Essendon is more than it has scored in the first half of either game this season PS... make that 40

cannot score...gameplan

I see the Essendon saga tell all being in the form of a book serialised in the mainstream press. Likely author.. Caroline Wilson. She will need an inside source and I suspect there are some that are ready to tell their story albeit anonymously. There have been some fantastic US political campaign bios written on a similar basis.

the release of documents well after the event is a long practiced and ethical means of investigative journalism. It's called public interest. I welcome the practice and await with interest the tell all story on the Essendon saga. It will come.

no doubt that two first rounders was overs for Lever as demonstrated by the Hogan trade. The only consolation was that the 2018 pick ended up being a high one given our success. Anyway.. it's in the past and hopefully we see some sunshine soon

Guardian article... no paywall https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/05/former-melbourne-demons-coach-said-he-was-bullied-into-tanking-afl-games-in-2009

If we lose and Sydney lose against Carlton we have another battle of the Zero wins next week. This season just keeps on giving

not to mention the thread for Round 1.... where did all that optimism go ? My son (a Carlton supporter) is gleefully looking forward to this evening's match saying that whichever team loses their fans will implode ?